[somehnrdr14726]

A lot of discussion about whether YouTube censorship is valid or not, carries an implicit assumption that the marketplace of ideas is up to the task of sorting fact from fiction.

It isn't, at least not right now, because of technologies like YouTube's recommendation engine. When everyone thinks that virality is a signal of truthiness, an algorithm which amplifies outrage to generate virality undermines the marketplace of ideas.

YouTube isn't going to address the source of the problem because they would go out of business, or at least have a few very bad quarters. What they can do however, is pretend to moderate the marketplace and do it poorly enough that we stay focused on one another; instead of on their algorithm that literally converts outrage into money.

[lambdatronics]

>When everyone thinks that virality is a signal of truthiness, an algorithm which amplifies outrage to generate virality undermines the marketplace of ideas.

Nailed it!

>YouTube isn't going to address the source of the problem because they would go out of business

In a way, we (the people) are getting exactly what we asked for... "Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard." H. L. Mencken